Psychedelics and teens – What Parents Should Know

How to help teens in our brave new world

A parent recently contacted me because they discovered that their 14-year-old possessed a 7 gram bag of psilocybin (magic) mushrooms. They were concerned, and I wanted to share a little of what I told them.

Parents experience finding mushrooms in their kids’ backpack is going to be a more common story.

In 2022, Colorado voted to approve psilocybin therapy, and psilocybin services became available in Oregon in the summer of 2023. Magic mushrooms grow everywhere: in Oregon, there are almost 20 different species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms that grow naturally.

To be very clear, I’m not advocating that teens use mushrooms on a regular basis. Psychedelic-assisted therapy can provide therapeutic benefits for clients with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD. There are not any studies on these benefits for pediatric patients, and with the exception of ketamine, there are no legal avenues currently for this in the US. It’s also important to remember that psychedelic-assisted therapy requires the therapy part, and many of the studies around its efficacy involve 12 weeks or more of post-trip integration therapy.

Here are some helpful thoughts if a teen in your life is experimenting with psychedelic mushrooms*.

1. Psilocybin is incredibly safe. As a substance it is safer than alcohol. Read that again, please. It is unlikely to cause addiction. The lethal dose is so large, if it exists, it might not fit in one’s stomach, unlike alcohol, for which a lethal dose might be in your liquor cabinet right now. There are multiple studies by serious researchers that show the incredible safety profile of psilocybin, both in terms of physical and mental health.

   

   Nutt, David J., et al. “Drug Harms in the UK: a Multicriteria Decision Analysis.” The Lancet (British Edition), vol. 376, no. 9752, 2010, pp.1558–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61462-6....

   
   

2. That does not mean there is no harm. When teens experiment, there is a risk they will get into a car with someone who is altered, and DUI is DUI, regardless of substance. People are unable to give consent if they are altered with psilocybin, just like with alcohol or any other substance, so teens need to understand how consent works.

   They aren’t safe for everyone. If you have first degree relative (parent, sibling) with a diagnosis of Bipolar I or Schizophrenia, psilocybin is a bad idea.
   
   There’s also the issue of mixing substances, which is true of alcohol or cannabis or anything else. If your teen is on anti-depressants and they take psilocybin mushrooms, there is a possibility of serotonin syndrome. Since psilocybin is illegal, there is little to no quality control. Street drugs can be tainted. If your child is experimenting, or planning to, you might talk about how they know their supply is safe. You can get fentanyl test strips from Dance Safe.
   

3. What about people thinking they can fly?
   There are many, many urban myths and legends regarding what could happen from the use of LSD and other psychedelics. Some of these urban legends come from reporting regarding phencyclidine (PCP), which is a very different drug, and operates on different parts of the brain.
   

4. What about bad trips?
   Bad trips can happen. The person will come back. Depending on their experience, a user might need some trauma therapy to process a bad drug experience. A good mindset and safe, positive setting can do more to help people have good trips than anything else. Being around a safe friend who is not using substances can help as well.
   

   1. Teens are going to experiment, so how can we support them? This is true about drugs, sex, how they interact on social media, driving, and all other parts of life. Experimentation is normal and healthy at this age. We can lead by not shaming them, and considering safety. You can talk to them about how to be safe: not mixing drugs, experimenting in a safe environment. Studies have shown that people using psilocybin have much better outcomes if they control for set and setting. Talk to them directly about drugs. Read a book like Buzzed together, review some questions on Go Ask Alice from Columbia Public Health school. Check out the Fact Sheet from the Drug Policy Alliance. Make sure your kid knows that if they decide to follow the white rabbit to Wonderland, even though you don’t approve, there will be a safe and loving home for them to come back to. A great resource is Fireside Project, which can help give emotional support via call or text. If this is a place your teen has indicated they might want to explore, ask their doctor to chat with them about it at their next appointment.
      
      TEENS: If you’re reading this, awesome. I’m going to offer this bit of advice. If you approach psilocybin, or any other psychedelic, I’m going to ask you to approach it with respect. Imagine you were about to spend eight hours alone with a Really Important Person, a professional athlete, a musician you’re obsessed with, maybe your favorite teacher from fourth grade. How would you show up for that meeting? You wouldn’t want to fuck it up, right? Give your psychedelic experience that same reverence and respect: you never know who might show up in that eight hours.

5. Talk to a therapist if you’re worried this is a pattern, or if you notice your kid engages in unsafe behaviors often, over time. It can be helpful to find a therapist who specializes in harm reduction and/or psychedelic integration. Be honest with your teen if there’s addiction in your family.

* For the purposes of this discussion I’m specifically referring to the mushroom Psilocybe cubensis, which is the most prevalent species containing psilocybin. Multiple genera and species of mushrooms produce psilocybin, and there are other psychoactive mushrooms that produce other chemicals, such as A. muscaria. Different species may have different potency.

Sources

James, Edward & Robertshaw, Tom & Pascoe, Michael & Chapman, Fiona & Westwell, Andrew & Smith, Andrew. (2019). Using the pharmacy retail model to examine perceptions and biases of a UK population sample towards regulation of specific psychoactive drugs. Drug Science, Policy and Law. 5. 205032451987612. 10.1177/2050324519876123.

Johansen, P. Ø., & Krebs, T. S. (2015). Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study. Journal of psychopharmacology,29(3), 270-279.

Nutt, David J., et al. “Drug Harms in the UK: a Multicriteria Decision Analysis.” The Lancet (British Edition), vol. 376, no. 9752, 2010, pp.1558–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61462-6.